Strange Ways
by miserum
Summary: Emily knew him since they were little. Everyone tried to get away from Daryl and his family, but she saw more than a simple redneck in him. She liked him for who he was, but Daryl never noticed her love for him. What will the apocalypse change in their relationship?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Here's me and my TWD obsession introducing my new story. It was just an idea that popped in my head, even though I still have another story to finish. However, since TWD hasn't started, I wanted to write something different.

I'm still not sure if I'm going to continue with this story, so please tell me if you're interested on reading another chapters. As for Emily, I have a few ideas for her that I think are interesting.

Anyway, I hope you like it!

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD**

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**Strange Ways**  
**Chapter One - Time Slips Away**

**Fifteen Years Ago**

She knew him since they were little kids and he had always a knack for pissing people off. Daryl was a sweet innocent boy when she met him, as well as the other children from their neighborhood. His big blue eyes seemed to attract everyone who caught his gaze, even though he seemed a bit different from the others. Emily knew everything about his family, since her father knew Daryl's father. Pete, her dad, had always bad things to say about the Dixon family, along with Daryl. In his opinion, Daryl would be exactly like his father and brother when he grew up. However, Emily didn't agree with that. She went to school with him, she played with him and she knew he wouldn't be like that. By the time she turned eighteen, Daryl was one year older than her. She didn't speak to him as much as she did when they were little, especially because she didn't know what to say to him. When Emily was sixteen she realized her crush for him that began when she met him.

Daryl didn't know anything about that crush. Emily made sure to never tell anything to anyone, not even her closest friends. She couldn't risk her father knowing how she cared for him, because that meant her father would forbid her from talking to him. She knew her mother would be worried about it, but Julie was always softer than her husband. Emily had a close relationship with her mother and being an only child made Julie want to spoil her when Emily was little. She remembered everyone telling Julie to not spoil her too much, because Emily would grow up as a spoiled child who got everything she wanted. But Emily wasn't like that. Her parents wanted her to be a doctor, marry a rich man and have beautiful children. But Emily's dreams were always about writing. She loved to write her own stories and she hoped one day to become a real writer.

She lived in a beautiful neighborhood close to high school. Her father was an architect, who drew their house when they moved to that place. It was a beautiful two-story house with a lovely yard on the back. Her parents loved to throw a few barbecues every now and then, which brought practically everyone from their neighborhood. Especially Kenny and his parents. Pete and Julie wanted their child to marry Kenny, who was tall and handsome boy who played for the team's basketball team. He had green eyes and dark brown hair. His family was rich, which made it more than enough to feed her parents desire. She knew Kenny wanted her, badly. But she only had eyes for Daryl Dixon. Emily couldn't understand why she felt so attracted to him. There was nothing between them that drew them close to each other and yet, Emily still wanted him.

Her grades weren't as good as her parents wanted. She needed excellent grades to enter Medical school, and she only had excellent in English. Her favorite subject. Emily had the idea to join the school's newspaper when she was in the tenth grade, and she never left since then. Mr. Smith, who was both her English teacher and responsible for the paper, loved Emily with all his heart. She often wrote small stories and poems and the only person she showed them was to her teacher. He loved to read her words and get lost in her imagination.

Her desk was scattered with papers in which she wrote her thoughts. She never wrote about her crush, mainly because she was afraid someone might read it. Emily wasn't embarrassed if someone found out she liked Dixon, she was afraid of someone finding out and telling him. He'd probably ignore her for the rest of her life. And even if it hurt her to talk to him and knowing he didn't feel the same way about her, it was better than being ignored by him. She knew it was stupid, but when was something like this not stupid? Emily knew this would hurt her in the future, but every time she looked into his blue eyes, she drawn to him once again.

Her friends convinced her to join them to hang out at the local bar. She wasn't that keen to go out on a Friday night, because she wasn't feeling in the best mood. Melissa - her best friend since tenth grade - knew how she was feeling about life. She had never seen Emily so sad since her grandmother died. That meant something was going on, but she didn't know what.

Emily got a text from her saying they were waiting for her in the car. With a sigh, Emily grabbed her black purse and jogged downstairs. Her mother glanced at her with a smile on her face.

"I'm going now." Emily told them. She grabbed the doorknob and looked at her parents again. "I won't be late."

"Okay, sweetie." Julie whispered, looking back at the television. "Be careful and have fun."

Her father waved his hand at her and told her his goodbyes. She opened the door and closed it behind her, spotting Jake's car right in front of her house. Emily was wearing a cute black dress and black sabrinas. She wasn't feeling well dressed, but when Jake gave her a whistle, Emily laughed at him and got in the car.

"You look great!" He told her, glancing back to face her.

"Thanks." Emily replied.

Melissa was sitting on the passenger seat and glanced at her too. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

Emily smiled. "I'm good. Let's just go so I can smoke a cigarette quickly."

Both of her friends laughed at her and Jake started the engine. They drove through the small streets silently, looking at the road ahead of them. Melissa was wearing a tight white dress and high heels, while Jake was wearing blue jeans and a shirt. Emily was found herself admiring him. His dark brown hair was smooth and beautiful, along with his bright blue eyes, that sometimes reminded her of Daryl's. Melissa was beautiful too; she had long wavy black her and light brown eyes. Emily knew her body was way more attractive than hers, and Melissa had all the boys from high school chasing her.

"Do you think it'll be crowded?" Melissa wondered while looking through the window. "It's a Friday night."

Jake shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "Maybe."

"Doesn't matter, Mel." Emily shrugged too. She knew Daryl would be there.

The three friends remained silent until they finally reached the bar. They could hear people shouting, talking and music playing. Emily wasn't really into that type of music, but once in a bar, she'd forget about that small detail.

Melissa jumped out of the car and joined her. They smiled at each other and walked towards Jake, who was waiting for them at the entrance.  
The guard looked at the two girls and gave Jake a small nod. The boy chuckled slightly while Melissa and Emily narrowed their eyes at the same time. With a final hand shake to the guard, Jake let the two girls enter inside the bar before him.

Emily dragged herself through the small stairs and took off her jacket, leaving it in her arm. Melissa entered behind, talking to Jake about something Emily couldn't understand. The music was loud enough to hide the laughs and conversations the other people were having inside the bar, so Emily stopped walking and waited for her friends to join her.  
The bar was really comfy. It was their favorite place to hang out since they were allowed to go out at night. Emily's eyes travelled through some people sitting next to the bartender, and her eyes caught the person she was waiting to see. Her cheeks burned slightly at the sight of Daryl Dixon, slipping a drink to his mouth. He was wearing his typical sleeveless shirt and pair of dark blue jeans. There were a few men sitting next to him, but there was no sign of his brother.  
Melissa finally reached her friend and grabbed Emily by the arm to take her to the empty table in front of them. She looked away from Daryl and sat on the chair with Jake in front of her.

After a few seconds, the bartender walked in their direction and they finally asked for their drinks. The bartender went away and Melissa got closer to them.

"There's this really cute guy over there." She whispered with a chuckle. Emily followed her gaze and saw a guy around their age dancing. He had dark brown hair that almost reached his chin.

"Go talk to him, then." Jake shrugged one more time. "Leave me and Emily forever alone."

Melissa showed them her tongue just as their drinks arrived. She let out another chuckle as she took a sip of her drink. "I was so sick of staying in that house." She confessed, closing her eyes for a few seconds. Emily nodded and took a drink. "Seriously, my mom is freaking me out." Melissa only lived with her mom, since her dad died when she was very little. It was a subject Melissa didn't want to talk about, ever. The only time she brought that up was with Emily when they were in the tenth grade, And she cried herself through the whole time.

"I know what you mean." Emily answered, her eyes landing on Daryl one more time. This time, he looked at her for a brief second and narrowed his eyes, obviously noticing her stare. Emily looked at the table quickly and felt her cheeks burn one more time. "My dad acts like I'm not even around, to be honest." She whispered to her friends. "I know he has work to do, but-"

"Exactly!" Melissa threw her arm in the air in frustration. "My mom does all the work alone and I know she needs the money, but sometimes I feel just like you."

"Do you tell her that?" Jake raised one eyebrow at her. Melissa shook her head and took another drink. "Maybe you should." Jake offered with another shrug.

"Seriously, Jake, stop it!" Emily joked with a slight laugh.

"What?" He asked confused.

"This." Emily shrugged as well, and he raised his eyebrow again. "You've been doing that a lot for the last few days."

"I bet he didn't even notice." Melissa agreed.

Jake shook his head. "I didn't." He confessed.

They kept talking about their problems for almost one hour. It was the only time they could actually talk about what was bothering them, and it felt strange to be talking about in a bar. But at school they didn't think about it. It felt so good to leave the house at night and get away from their parents for a while, they needed to speak about that to feel better.  
Emily knew her father was a very busy man and she was actually used to see him always working. He often waved his hand at her every time she left the house, not even bothering to know where she went. In fact, Emily thought the only thing her dad found interesting about her was school, grades, and Kenny.  
Speaking of Kenny, Emily had noticed his presence at the bar a few moments after sitting on the table. She tried to ignore the obvious looks he'd been giving her through the whole night, but it was almost impossible. Even Melissa had seen it. Emily knew he wanted something from her, but she wasn't interested. The fact that their parents knew each other and wanted the two of them to be together made everything worse.

With a sigh, Emily finished her drink and got up. "I'm going to the bathroom." She told them, leaving her jacket and purse on her chair. "Be right back." Melissa and Jake nodded at her and began talking as Emily made her way through the crowd.

She could feel the heat radiating through everyone's body as they danced their hearts out. She pushed herself through the crowed so she could finally break free. A few seconds later, she did it. Emily walked towards the bathroom and noticed someone else was already in there. With another sigh, Emily leaned against the wall and waited for the girl to come out.

When Emily looked around the bar to look at Daryl, she found Kenny making his way towards her. The way he was walking, it was obvious he was drunk. She looked away from him and spotted Daryl in the same place, still drinking the same drink.  
When Kenny finally reached her, he placed one arm beside her, resting on the wall as if he was leaning down to kiss her.

"Having fun, Em?" He asked her. Emily looked away from him when his face came closer. "You know, we could go somewhere."

Emily tried to walk away from him, but Kenny stopped her. "No, thanks."

Kenny let out a groan. "Come on, Em," He placed his left hand on her waist, pulling her close. "I want you."

Emily pushed him away from her, but her strength was nothing compared to him. "Let me go, Kenny." She hissed with a whisper. He laughed at her and tried to grab one of her breasts. Emily tried to punch him in the face, but someone pushed Kenny away from her so quickly she didn't even have time to blink. Her hands were slightly shaking. No one at the bar seemed to realize what happened, since everyone was dancing your drinking. Besides, there were hardly no lights were she was.  
It was when Kenny stepped away from her to look at the person who grabbed him that Emily noticed who was in front of her now. Her eyes widened as she immediately recognized the sleeveless shirt in front of her.

"What the hell, man?" Kenny asked, throwing his arms in the air. He lost his balance for a few seconds and tried to grab something to keep him steady. "She's mine."

"I'm not yours, Kenny!" Emily assured him while peeking over Daryl's shoulder. "Just leave me alone."

"Ya heard her, didn't you?" Daryl grunted, pushing Kenny away one more time. "Just go, asshole."

Kenny bit his lower lip and pointed a finger at him. "This doesn't end like this, redneck." Kenny whispered, trying to keep his arm steady. "My father-"

"Shut your mouth, now." Daryl took a step forward him. Kenny seemed to realize the threat in Daryl's voice, since he took one last look at the girl behind the redneck and turned away to leave.

Before Emily could say anything, Daryl looked at her for a few seconds and walked away. She ran after him and grabbed his arm quickly. "Wait!" She practically yelled. Daryl stopped walking and turned to face her. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"Whatever." He grunted. "Watch yourself."

"I'm Emily." She whispered. Daryl looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "You don't remember me?" She asked curiously.

Daryl shrugged. "Why would I?"

Emily looked at the ground with embarrassment. "Oh." Was all she could say. She looked at him one more time and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Daryl bit his lower lip and noticed the redness of her cheeks. He shook his head at her craziness. Why would he remember her?  
He ran a hand through his hair, not sure of what to do. "Do ya know me?" He wondered.

Emily seemed surprised by his question. "Yeah, I do." She simply replied. "We used to be friends when we were kids. Then I left." Daryl narrowed his eyes. He tried to remember what she was talking about, but he couldn't. Emily noticed his confusion and shook her head. "Anyway, thanks for helping me." With that, she walked away from him. Daryl turned around to watch her leave, still confused by that girl. With a grunt, he returned to his chair and took another sip of his drink.

He had time to see her figure and to remember her face. She seemed attractive, but Daryl couldn't figure out who the hell she was. He didn't even pay much attention to his friends when he was little, especially a girl. She was probably one of the girls who used to play sports with the guys, but she didn't look like the type. He shook his head. Why was he even thinking about it?  
Daryl glanced at the girl one more time and noticed she seemed quite depressed with her friends. However, they didn't seem to notice. Did she not tell them about what that prick tried to do with her? Daryl figured she didn't, otherwise her friends wouldn't be laughing so hard as they were in that moment.

The night went by as Daryl couldn't get over the thought of that girl. He kept glancing at her from time to time and cursed himself every time he did it. She seemed to notice his stare a couple of times, only to face the ground every time his eyes caught hers.

Emily knew it was only natural that Daryl didn't remember her. Either way, she couldn't do anything about that. He probably thought she was crazy anyway. Melissa and Jake didn't notice her silence as they kept talking about random stuff. She shook her head silently as they asked her to come and dance with them, but she didn't want to face Kenny again. She knew he was still there.

The girl remained quietly sitting down on her chair as her friends had fun. She shouldn't have gone out that day. Nothing had happened.

It was with those thoughts in mind that she got up and walked towards Melissa and Jake to tell them she was leaving. They seemed surprised at her sudden mood change, but Emily made sure they stayed and had fun. Melissa didn't want to leave her friend alone in the street, but Emily told her she'd take a cab home.

Emily quickly walked away from those people and exited the bar, practically running. She decided to smoke a cigarette before searching for a cab. Emily opened her purse and took out the cig, before lighting it up. She inhaled it quickly and closed her eyes. It was horrible how much that little cigarette helped her to calm her nerves.

Emily opened her eyes when she heard footsteps leaving the bar. She stopped her eyes from widening when Daryl walked towards her.

"Are ya crazy?" He asked her with annoyance. "Why would ya come out there by yourself?"

Emily shrugged. "How did you know anyway?" She wondered, taking another drag.

Daryl shrugged slightly too and placed one cigarette in his mouth. Then, he searched in his pockets for a lighter, but he didn't find it. "You got light?" He wondered. Emily nodded and took it off her purse quickly. She handed him the lighter and looked the other way. A second later, he gave it back to her. "Thanks."

"No problem." Emily whispered.

They remained silent for a while, the two of them enjoying the quiet. She closed her eyes one more time and put her jacket when she felt a slight breeze.

"You know where the cabs are?" Emily wondered a few minutes later. "I have to find one."

Daryl chuckled. "Ya won't find any." He admitted. Then, Daryl walked past her and waved his hand in the air. "I'll take ya home."

"What?" Emily wondered.

He turned around and looked at her with an annoyed look. "I ain't got time for this." He whispered to himself. "Just come, will ya?"

Emily shook her head and began walking towards him. He turned around and took one final drag from his cigarette before throwing it to the ground. Emily did the same.  
Both of them walked towards Daryl's car in silence. When they got there, Emily waited for him to open the car first.

"It's opened." He informed her while sitting on his seat. Emily nodded to herself and sat on the passenger seat beside him. "Where do ya live?"

Emily pointed one finger at the road in front of them. "Just go through that road and then you turn right."

"And then?" He grunted while turning on the engine.

"Then you follow that road until I say when you turn left." She whispered, looking away from him.

Daryl started driving through the road. "Ya used to be my friend, hun?" He joked slightly, but when Emily looked at him, she noticed he had a serious look on his face.

"When we were kids." She confessed. "I used to play with you and the other kids."

Daryl nodded. "Right." He answered. "I guess I remember somethin'."

"Just forget it." Emily whispered, shaking her head. "Turn right."

"I know." Daryl grunted.

A few minutes later, Emily told him to pull over just in front of her house. The lights were still on and she figured her father was still working. "It's here." She whispered while turning to face him. Daryl chewed on his lower lip and nodded. "Thanks, again."

"No problem." He mumbled.

Emily nodded and opened the door. She jumped out of the car and before she closed the door, Emily looked at him. "You used to call me Lily." Emily noticed with a warm smile. "Don't ask me why, but you did."


	2. Chapter 2

**DarylDixon'sLover:** Thank you (:

**ciel-de-crystal:** Here you go (: And thank you so much for reading my story!

**And to the guest (Boo):** I'm glad you found it interesting, here's another chapter!

**A special thanks to my very first follower, UmiNight Angel Neko! Also, a big thank you for everyone who favorites my story, it means a lot to me.**

**I wish you all a Happy New Year's Eve!**

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD**

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**Strange Ways  
Chapter Two - Follow the Rules**

**FIFTEEN YEARS AGO**

_It'd been two months since she got his attention. Ever since that night at the bar, Daryl couldn't get his mind off of her. He'd think about her at work, at home and even when he went out to the local bar.  
Truth is, they'd become close since what happened. Not that Daryl spoke to her after driving Emily to her house that night, but ever since that moment he started noticing her in almost every place he went. She'd smile shyly at him and Daryl would nod back at her, not really sure what he should do next. Normally, she'd leave her friends for a few moments so that she could join him for a few minutes. He hated to admit, but her company was better than being stuck at home with Merle and his father. As far as Daryl could tell, she didn't know what happened in his home, although he was pretty sure her father knew his father pretty well.  
However, his family didn't seem to bother her. One time, Merle caught the two of them talking at the local bar and decided to join them and make fun of his little brother. And Daryl was expecting Emily to get up and leave before Merle could even take a good look at her, but that girl seemed to surprise him every time. She'd actually laugh at his jokes and defend Daryl, but not in an offensive way. Daryl was sure that caught his brother's attention as well._

_Although enjoying her company, Daryl was pretty sure he had slight feelings for her. It'd only been two months, but not once had she tried to kiss him, or hold his hand. She'd always treat him like a best friend, and Daryl didn't know how to deal with that.  
He knew he was the only person who she talked about her biggest fears. She decided to tell him about her wish of becoming a writer, but she hadn't shown him any of her stories yet._

_Daryl threw his cigarette to the ground as he waited for the girl to come out of the bathroom. She called him saying she had to get away from her house and he decided to take her somewhere nice and quiet. He'd often go out hunting with his father or with Merle, so he knew a few good places to be in the woods near his house.  
She finally opened the door and smiled at him while walking in his direction. Daryl got up and bit his thumb while waiting. "Sorry for taking so long." She whispered. "Where are we going?"_

_It took them a few minutes to get there, but they did. Emily looked at the place with a big smile on her face. It was a small place in the woods with a little lake near a few rocks, enough for them to sit and even look at the sky. She didn't wait for him to follow her as she laid on one of the rocks and closed her eyes. She loved the special smell she could only feel in the woods.  
Daryl sat on the rock beside her and looked at Emily's face for a brief second. He was always surprised of how innocent she could be sometimes. Emily wasn't even aware of how beautiful she was, and Daryl thought she became more and more pretty as time went by._

_"This is beautiful." Emily whispered, opening her eyes and searching for him. Her eyes landed on his beautiful blue eyes and her smile appeared again. "Thanks for showing it to me."_

_"No problem." Daryl mumbled, looking at the lake._

_"I shouldn't really drag you out of your house in the middle of the night." Emily wondered, sitting on the rock. She caught her hair in a small bun. "You have things to do, I guess."_

_Daryl shrugged. "It's alright. Sounds like ya needed some air anyways."_

_Emily laughed. "I did, yeah. My dad is pissing me off." She leaned forward and placed her right hand on the water. "You know how busy he is..."_

_"Yeah, ya told me." He mumbled back. "Is it worse?"_

_Emily shook her head and smiled at him. "No." She confessed. "But he's so busy he practically forgets he doesn't live alone. Me and my mom are invisible to him."_

_Daryl watched the sadness in her face and wished she didn't start crying. Emily looked away from him and stared at the water in front of her. "Ya alright?" He whispered._

_"I'm okay." She leaned closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're a good friend, Daryl."_

**PRESENT**

Run. Hide. Run. Hide. Emily's basic rules were two very important words that determined if she lived or not. There was nothing worse than staying in the same place for more than two days. Even two days were too risky for Emily. When everything began, she stayed at home with her parents. For the first few days, her father went lunatic. He rationed their food four times a day, he checked the lock on the door every hour and he made sure all windows were locked as well. Her mother started getting depressed when the dead started coming back from wherever they were. She didn't believe at first, neither did her friends. The first reactions were filled with laughter. Laughing, joking and making fun of the people who spoke about it on television.

Now Emily was alone. She promised herself to never remember her past, because it would distract her from her main objective. Stay alive. There wasn't anything more important to her than to win this fight.  
However, for Emily, that meant change her personality completely. She was thirty-three years old now and a lot of things changed since she was just an innocent girl. Her relationship with her parents was a complete mess by the time Emily finished High School. She decided to follow her dream and become a writer, which led made father crazy. He didn't accept it for a long time and when he did, he made sure to tell her every day what a lazy job she was going to have.  
That was what made Emily leave their house when she was twenty-one years old. She moved to another neighborhood, far away from her parents. Melissa came with her, but Jake decided to move to England. He had that dream since he was little and they didn't argue with him to stay. Emily knew what it meant to follow their dreams. Although Jake came to visit a few times a year, Melissa and Emily missed him badly. They'd been best friends since tenth grade and when everything happened, Emily cried for him. She was almost thirty-two years old when the world became a place very different than what she was used to. Melissa and her tried their best to stay alive, but only one of them did. And once more, Emily cried herself to sleep while risking her own life to be with her parents. That happened in one day. Everything was so fast she didn't even have time to really understand what was happening. All she knew was that those people from the television were right, and they were fooling themselves for all that time.

Emily shook her head as she ran through the woods quickly. She didn't want to think about the past, especially after searching for supplies and being spotted by the bitters. That's what she called them. Emily came across a group one day and they named those creatures that and she thought it was a good name for them.  
Emily had another crucial rule. No groups. She knew for her own experience that joining groups meant suffering and becoming reckless. If it was all about survival, Emily wanted to survive by her own decisions and rules.  
After her parents died, Emily was alone for the first time. She didn't have anyone else to find or to save. Her worst mistake was staying in that house for longer than two days. Back then she didn't have the guts to leave her parents behind, along with the life she knew and love.

Again the past. Emily's breathing was deep and quick as she gracefully ran through the woods to save her life. She was more than used to this life now. She didn't even remember most of her past life, which was something she tried hard to fulfill. Not remembering the past helped her. And she wasn't scared anymore. She used to the bitters.

Emily learned quickly that the bitters weren't the only threat out there. She'd been through a lot more than she actually wanted too, but Emily still remembered perfectly waking up and realizing all her supplies were gone. She cursed herself for being so naive.

This woods were familiar to her. She'd been running through them for the past thirty minutes, and there was hardly any growling behind her. Emily risked a peek over her shoulder and realized the bitters were far behind. She could walk through the woods rather than running. Emily slowed her pace and grabbed her bag. She opened it quickly and took a machete from it. She'd been lucky to find a store with a few weapons saved, and it'd been almost a miracle to actually find a machete. Emily knew she needed gun, but where could she find one? Her father was very strict about guns. No guns in the house. While living with her parents and with her friend, she never bought a gun to protect herself. Never would she imagine the world would change so much.

Emily grabbed her machete quickly and looked around herself. There was a strange silence filling the air which made her feel unsecure about this place. She'd been here several times, but something in her gut told her to go away.  
However, if she turned away, those bitters would find her.

Wiping the sweat out of her forehead, Emily turned right and entered in a more dense part of the woods. She stayed alert to any sound that surrounded her while finding a place to spend the night. Normally, when Emily found herself in the woods with nowhere else to go, she'd climb a tree and sleep in it until morning. At first light, if the road was clear, she'd go on her way.

This time, Emily wasn't exactly sure what to do. Neither one of those trees seemed safe enough for her to sleep in, so she'd have to search deeper. She continued walking through the woods until she found herself walking through bushes.  
She pulled out her machete with annoyance and cut a few of them, and finally was able to break free. When she did, Emily sensed movement beside her. With a quick look, Emily spotted a deer walking away from her.  
She didn't even smile. Emily began thinking of a way to kill it, even though she didn't have a good weapon to do so. She stepped out of the bush and tried to grab it, but the deer was faster. He noticed her presence as well and quickly ran away from her.

"Shit." Emily whispered to herself.

The hunger was stronger than her. She convinced herself it was a good decision to go after it, this time quietly. Emily followed his trail deeper into the woods while wiping the sweat off her face once more.

She followed the deer for what seemed like another half an hour, until she found herself in an unknown part of the woods. Now she knew this wasn't a good idea.  
Emily was about to turn around and leave when she heard something that attracted her. She turned around again and hid in some bushes in front of her. Slowly peeking through it, she saw two men and a child talking and looking at deer. Emily controlled a scoff. Someone else was getting the food, and she'd just watch them take if away from her.

However, they didn't shoot it. The two men encouraged the little boy to walk towards the animal, as if he could actually pet it or simply look at it more closely. Emily narrowed her eyes. One of the men seemed to be wearing a sheriff's uniform, while the other seemed to have some kind of military training. The boy was walking away from them and getting closer and closer to the deer.  
Even Emily had to control a sad smile that appeared on her face. She hadn't seen a child for a long time. And that little moment right there touched her heart that seemed cold and frozen for a long time as well. She had always loved kids, ever since she was a teenager and was baby-sitter for a few kids of her neighborhood.

She knew it was best to turn around and leave before they noticed she was there, but Emily found herself curious about the boy and the deer. She wanted to see what would happen and if he'd actually pet the animal.  
However, that little moment ended as fast as it began. Emily flinched at the sound of a gunshot firing. The sound filled the air and she couldn't keep her balance as she looked for support. She fell on the ground, making enough noise for the men to hear her. However, only one of them turned around to look at her. She caught his expression and noticed how scared and confused he looked at the same time. He glanced at her and then at the boy. Emily did the same.  
Even though she didn't know them, the image of the little boy lying on the ground, blood surrounding the small area on his abdomen, made her feel almost as sad as those two were. And after looking at the kid, Emily noticed the deer was also on the ground, dead. Someone must've tried to shot the deer, but the bullet went right through it, hitting the boy. She got up quickly and noticed the other guy was still looking at her.

"No! No!" The sheriff's cries could be heard over and over again, and Emily knew that would attract any walker that was near them. However, the previous gunshot did all the work.

The other man tried to run and help his friend, but he pointed his gun at Emily, with his eyes widened. "Who the hell are you?!" He asked furiously. "Did you do this?!"

Emily raised her hands in the air. "No, man!" She practically yelled. The sheriff ignored both of them and started putting pressure on the boy's wound. "I don't have guns!"

The guy was about to speak when they heard something coming out of the bushes near the sheriff and the boy. Emily figured it was his son. The man pointing the gun at her turned around quickly and raised his gun again. This time, a bigger man appeared, with a hat on his head and a terrified look. He placed his hand on his mouth and his eyes darkened slightly.

"You did this?!" The same who pointed the gun at Emily yelled. "You did this?!" He asked again.

The man raised his hands in the air. "Y-Y-Yes. Please, don't shoot. It was an accident, I can take him back to my people."

That seemed to get their attention. "Where?" The sheriff asked desperately. "Where?!"

"Just go that way!" The man quickly answered, pointing at the bushes he appeared from. "The woods end right there and then you go straight forward."

"You!" The military guy called Emily. She looked at him and he raised his gun. "Who the hell are you?!"

Before Emily could answer, she glanced at the sheriff. He was trying to get his boy up and carrying him, but for some reason, he couldn't do it. Maybe he was scared of hurting his boy more than he already was. And that touched Emily one more time. She had a sad look on her face, she was sure of it. "There's no time." She whispered to the man. "Let me help him."

The guy pointed his gun at her again while Emily quickly walked towards the sheriff. She kneeled on the ground and helped him to get his boy on his lap. The sheriff didn't even look at her. His shirt was full of blood, as well as his hands. When Emily stopped helping him, she realized she got covered in blood too. However, the sheriff didn't wait any longer. He started running as fast as he could, but his friend stopped walking and looked at her. "Let's go!" He demanded her. Emily didn't move for a few seconds. She remembered her rule of never joining groups, because it only meant suffering. She wanted to live by her own rules, making her own decisions. However, a young boy had been shot. She didn't know these people, but she was sure that guy wouldn't take his son anywhere if he didn't have help. And his friend would be occupied dealing with the guy who shot the kid. And he'd never let her leave without questioning her first. Her rules could be his as well. "Let's go!" He yelled one more time.

Emily bit her lower lip as she quickly started running to catch up with the sheriff. She joined him quickly, but still kept her distance. However, Emily made sure to grab her machete again in case any walker appeared in front of them.

The man who shot the kid was right, the woods were practically ending. She noticed the light and the field in front of her, and she knew the sheriff guy knew it too. She looked at the boy in his arms and noticed how pale he looked. If she knew anything about medicine - just like her father always said for her to know - she'd been able to help him. However, Emily's skills weren't related to that. She could apply pressure to the boys wound and disinfected it, but nothing more.

After running during a few more minutes, both Emily and the sheriff finally stepped out of the woods into the huge field in front of them. Behind them, Emily heard someone screaming and figured it had been the same man that pointed a gun to her head. She glanced behind her and noticed he was screaming at the man who shot the kid, who was trying to catch his breath. "Come on!" The guy shouted to him. He grabbed his knees and tried to breath. Emily almost felt sorry for him. "Hey, you move, dickhead! Come on, get us there!"

Emily noticed the sheriff turned around to look at them. She stopped as well and took a moment to gather her strengths. "How far? How far?!" The sheriff yelled desperately again.

The man finally spoke. "Another mile, that way!" He spoke breathlessly. "Hershel- Talk to Hershel! He'll take care of your boy!"

Emily watched as the man fall to the ground again. The other guy grabbed him by the arm quickly and she turned around to run for the house.

Every time she got close to the sheriff she could hear him panic. His shirt was full of blood and he was breathing pretty fast. She glanced at kid and noticed he was still very pale and unconscious.  
She knew it was a bad idea to help these people. Emily had never done anything like that since she'd been alone. However, that kid made her change her mind. He made her break her rule and try to save him. She only wished she could, along with Hershel.  
After a few minutes, both the sheriff and her spotted Hershel's farm. Emily narrowed her eyes. She couldn't help but to admire the sight in front of her. It was a beautiful house and it almost seemed as if the apocalypse hadn't knocked on their door. She spotted a girl on the porch, who quickly got up and looked at them. After a few seconds, Emily noticed a few people coming out of the house.

She ran along with the sheriff towards them, but kept her mouth shut as everyone glanced at them with suspicion.

"Was he bit?" The older man asked with narrowed eyes.

"Shot. By your man." The sheriff spilled out in despair.

"Otis?" Another woman asked incredulous. They started climbing down the stairs quickly.

"He said find Hershel." The sheriff continued, ignoring her question. "Is that you?" He asked to the older man, who nodded at him. "Help me- Help my boy!"

Emily closed her eyes for a few seconds at the sound of his voice. She could feel his pain through it, as if he was feeling the same thing as his son. She opened her eyes quickly and noticed everyone else was already back in the house. However, she knew it'd be best if she stayed down there. Emily turned around quickly and took a few deep breaths while she watched the other two guys finally joining her. Otis looked at her briefly before catching his breath again.

"You!" The guy shouted, walking up to her. Emily narrowed her eyes. "What's your name, girl?"

Emily crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Emily."

He took a few deep breaths too. "Emily." He repeated. "I'm Shane."

She nodded at his words. "The sheriff guy just found Hershel." Emily spoke, knowing he'd like to know that. Shane widened his eyes at her. "I think he's helping the kid." Shane ran his hand through his hair, looking at the ground for a few seconds. "Look, Shane, I know this is not the best time-"

She was cut off when Shane looked back at the house and quickly ran towards the sheriff. Emily sighed and headed towards the porch, just in time to hear the two of them talking. Otis followed behind her. "He's alive? He's still alive?" He asked the sheriff.

He didn't answer. The sheriff looked at all of them hopelessly, not even bothering to know who Emily was. He tried to run a hand through his face, only to mess it up with blood. Shane took a few steps towards his friend. "Hey? It's okay." He whispered, searching something in his bag. Shane pulled out a rag and showed it to his friend. "You got blood, man." Shane whispered again. He cleaned out his friends face, but the sheriff took the rag in his hands and stared at it for a few seconds, before he started shaking. Emily took a step forward, figuring he'd pass out with all the panic. Shane grabbed him by the arms and kept him steady. "Okay. I'll take it from you." He told the sheriff.

Emily sighed and backed away from them. She wasn't sure what to do. The kid was what brought her there, and she couldn't just leave without knowing if he was gonna make it. Closing her eyes, Emily sat on one of the chairs in the porch, placing her arms on her knees and resting her head on her hands. So much for stick to the rules. She knew this was a mistake. Sooner or later they'd ask her where she'd been all that time and if she had a group. Emily knew they would want her help in whatever mess they were in. She wasn't sure if she should help them.

The world turned Emily into a cold person. She realized it now. There she was, on a beautiful house with food and shelter. A boy had been shot and she was still considering leaving them. She shook her head and sighed again. She couldn't be that cold.

After a few minutes of consideration, Emily realized she wasn't even sure Shane and his friend were allowed to stay in this farm. But she had to admit it'd be a shame. This farm seemed the perfect place to prevent those bitters from sneaking up on them. But Emily had to keep her head clear. No place was safe enough from those things.

She figured Hershel would allow her to enter inside the house. Emily got up quickly and reached for the doorknob, opening the door and closing it quietly behind her. She immediately spotted Shane and the sheriff sitting at the entrance. She sat on one of the chairs and kept silent as they trailed off in their conversation.

"I should've sent him with Lori." She heard the sheriff whispering. Emily lowered her head. She figured they had a group, but they were separated. She placed her machete on her bag and threw it to the ground silently.

"You know, you start that, and you never take that monkey off your back." Shane replied. Emily knew he was right.

The sheriff took a few moments to think about his words. "A little girl goes missing," He spoke. "You look for her, simple." Emily looked at both of them in surprised. They'd been through a lot, just like her. Not only they lost a little girl, now his son had been shot. She shook her head at her own thoughts. The news she heard from the sheriff made her feel even more sorry, erasing all the chances from leaving that place as soon as she could. A little girl was missing, scared, alone in the woods. If Emily, as a grown adult, felt scared while being alone in the woods, she couldn't even imagine how that girl was feeling. If she was even alive. "You said call it- Head back." The sheriff wondered with the same desperate look.

"Doesn't matter what I said." Shane whispered back.

"Carl got shot because I couldn't cut bait." The sheriff confessed with a whisper. "It should be me in there."

Shane let out a chuckle, which made Emily look at him in surprise. "You've been there, partner, remember?" He joked slightly. "And you pulled through. So will he."

The sheriff didn't seem to listen to those words. His thoughts seemed to fill his mind. Emily shared a glance with Shane before looking down at the ground again. "Is that why I got out of that hospital?" The sheriff wondered. Emily narrowed her eyes at his words. She didn't have a clue about what they were saying. "Found my family for it to end here, like this?" He trailed off with a frown on his face. "Is this some kind of si- sick joke?"

"You stop it." Shane told him firmly. "Just stop."

Emily looked at them again. She couldn't stop thinking about what that sheriff had been through. The way he spoke, Emily figured he wasn't with his family when everything started falling apart. And somehow, he found them. It was only natural he felt so furious about the whole situation, even more than normal. She fell back to the chair when Shane looked at her again.

"A little girl goes missing," The sheriff repeated himself. "You look for her, that's plain and simple."

Just before they could continue their conversation, Hershel opened the door. "Rick." He spoke. The sheriff immediately stood up, same as Shane. "He needs blood."

Emily watched as the three men entered the room. They left the door opened, but Emily wasn't sure if she should get in or wait. She didn't know these people, and Shane kept looking at her as if she should already be gone. However, Emily wasn't going anywhere until she figured out what would happen to that boy. If she started something, might as well end it well.

She closed her eyes as the boys screams filled the house. Emily could hear their voices, but she got up and left to the porch. She wasn't able to hear those painful screams. Emily sat on the same chair she'd been a few minutes before, and closed her eyes again. She knew she wasn't welcome in there. That boy was the only reason why she was still in the farm.  
But at the same time, Emily knew she wouldn't find a place like this for a long time. She tried to distract herself from the screams coming from the house and looked around the area. She spotted a barn near the farm, which meant they could have real food in that house. It was starting to get really hard to turn her back at this place. Maybe she could speak to Hershel, and he'd let her stay a night or two, before she finally have the courage to leave a place like that.

There was something in Emily's mind that drew her close to that farm. She couldn't explain why, but it wasn't just the boy. It was her reckless behavior that made her follow that deer, even though she didn't have the weapon to kill it. It was also her reckless behavior that forced her into helping those people.  
But it wasn't just a reckless behavior. It was also the compassion she felt towards that boy, who didn't even know her name. Carl was just an innocent kid who didn't deserve what happened to him. She couldn't just turn her back at a kid who was suffering.  
And the fact that Rick pointed out they lost a little girl made Emily feel even more guilty to even consider leaving while they were facing all those problems. They weren't her responsibility, but knowing she could help them, Emily couldn't leave just yet.


	3. Chapter 3

**DarylDixon'sLover:** Here you go, the next chapter (: I hope you like it!

**A huge thank you for everyone who follows, reviews and favorites! It means a lot to me.**

**I DO NOW OWN ANY OF THE WALKING DEAD.**

* * *

**Strange Ways**  
**Chapter Three - Is It Really You?**

**Twenty-one years old**

_Emily knew something was wrong with him just by the sound of his voice on the phone. She called him so they could meet, which was a regular thing every Friday night when she didn't went out with her friends. Melissa and Jake didn't like the Dixons that much. In fact, nobody in their neighborhood liked them. Of course Emily didn't think like those people, she loved Daryl. The time they spent together made her love him even more and she was afraid she'd get hurt because of it. _

_By the time Emily and Daryl started becoming really close friends, people started noticing how close they were. And eventually, they started talking about it until her parents finally found out. Her mother was just scared for her, because Julie thought Daryl was a bad influence on her. However, her father thought worse. He believed Emily loved Daryl and that she intended to marry him. And he promised her to never let that happen, because Pete didn't want to see his only daughter marrying a Dixon. She was already used by now to the judgmental people, but never in her life had Emily felt so much hatred towards her dad. She knew Daryl for who he was, and she was definitely sure he was better than a lot of people her father knew._

_Days went by and the two of them kept hanging around, but Emily never said a word to Daryl about her father's mean words. She knew that even if he told her it didn't affect him, Daryl would stick to those words and almost believe in them._

_Emily was reluctant in meeting him. He talked to her in a cold voice that she wasn't used to hear. However, there she was, parking her car in front of his house. And when Emily looked in front of her, there he was, sitting on a chair, looking at her with a cigarette in his mouth._

_She turned off the engine and jumped off the car with a sigh. Emily closed the door and walked towards him. Daryl didn't move._

_"Hey." She whispered to him. "Something wrong?"_

_Daryl shook his head. "Why?" He asked._

_"You sounded weird on the phone." She confessed, climbing the stairs of his house. Emily walked towards him and stopped right in front of him. "Maybe-_

_"Ya're imaginin' things." Daryl cut her off, throwing his cigarette to the ground. "What do you want?" He asked coldly._

_Emily found herself hurt at his words. "I thought we were hanging out tonight. As we always do."_

_"I'm not in the mood, Emily." He answered her quickly. Daryl got up and turned around to leave. He felt her hand grabbing his right arm, which made him stop walking and peeking over his shoulder at her. "What?"_

_Emily backed away and narrowed her eyes. "Why are you being so cold?" She wondered. "Has it something to do with Merle? Your dad?"_

_"No, Emily." He answered quickly. "I just wanna stay at home."_

_"You never want to stay at home." She mumbled, looking down. "You can tell me if something's wr-"_

_"Hell, Em." Daryl waved his hand in the air. "Stopping bein' such a pain in the ass. I said I was fine, didn't I? Ya ain't gotta keep askin' me the same question. Why don't ya go back to your friends?"_

_Emily shook her head at his words and began climbing down the stairs. She looked at him again and noticed the serious look on his face. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you." She whispered coldly. "You're being an asshole, Daryl." Emily confessed, this time showing him some confusion. "I don't even know what happened."_

_"Nothin'." He answered._

_"Right." Emily said sarcastically. "You know what? Maybe you're pissed at someone and blaming me, but I'm not going to stay here and make a fool out of myself." She said harshly. "You've been acting strange for a few weeks, you know that?" Daryl didn't answer. "I'm going home."_

_"Don't come back." His voice was barely a whisper, but Emily heard it. She turned around one more time and raised an eyebrow at him. "Ya heard me."_

_"Yeah, I did." Em said. "You're an asshole." She whispered. "What the hell did I do to you, hun? Nothing! I'm your friend-"_

_"Just go, Emily." He cut her off again. "Just go."_

_Daryl turned around and closed his door. Emily stared at his house as if somehow he'd come back and explain his attitude towards her. A small tear escaped her eye as she opened her door and dragged herself inside her car. She glanced at his house again, expecting to see him coming back.  
She turned on the engine and blinked a couple of times to stop the blurriness. She didn't know what caused his behavior, but Emily was absolutely sure it had something to do with her loving him. She knew he'd eventually figure out the truth by himself and push himself away from her. Emily drove far away from his house until she couldn't take it anymore. She parked the car near some trees and stared at an empty space, letting all the tears fall down her face._

_Emily thought about everything she said to him since he began acting like that. She remembered noticing he didn't pay much attention to what she said, as if Emily started to annoy him. She shook her head. This wasn't natural. Something had to provoke this attitude, but Emily didn't know what._

_After sitting inside her car for almost an hour, Emily finally decided to go back home. She knew it was only a matter of time before she finally moved out from her parents house and rented a house with her friend Melissa.  
And now, she couldn't wait for that day to come._

* * *

Emily didn't know exactly what Hershel his people wanted her to do, but the older man made sure she'd stay inside the house, where she'd be safe. Emily suggested she'd look for the equipment they needed with Shane and Otis, but Rick wasn't completely sure what to do with her. He didn't want her running around with the gun, especially somewhere he couldn't keep an eye on her. Eventually, he decided to ask Emily to stay in the house.

So there she was, sitting on the living room while Rick and Lori stood by their son on the bedroom. She wanted to know how the kid was doing, since it was crucial to have those equipments with them as soon as they could. However, she wasn't sure how his parents might feel if a total stranger they've just met went into his bedroom.  
Emily stood there for what seemed like an hour until Rick stepped out of the room and walked towards her.

"How is he?" She asked him with a whisper.

Rick sat down next to her and sighed. "We need Shane and Otis to come back." He confessed, looking at her. "But we can't do anything now."

Emily nodded and looked at the ground. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

"How did you find us?" Rick wondered, still looking at her.

"I spotted the deer before finding the three of you. I was trying to hunt it, even though I didn't have the weapons for it." Emily chuckled. "Then I heard you and saw Carl walking towards it. And, in the next second, the gunshot."

"But you helped us." Rick pointed out firmly. "You didn't have to, but you did."

Emily's gaze caught his. "I couldn't just leave him there." She assured him. "I couldn't just turn around and leave."

"It's really hard to trust people these days." Rick continued. "Have you ever found someone like that?"

"Like what?" Emily wondered.

"That helps kids like you did." Rick confessed. "If you thought only about yourself you'd just turn around and leave, but you thought about my boy. About his safety." Rick placed one hand on her shoulder. "I'm indebted to you."

Emily stared at him and shook her head. "Come on, Rick. You know that's not true."

"It is." He answered quickly. "We have a few more people, up in the highway." Rick informed her. "We're a strong group and I think you'd be good here." He whispered. "It's not safe for you to wonder around alone."

"Rick." She cut him off quickly. "I don't think I'll stay." Emily confessed with a sigh. Rick looked at her with a confused look. "I've been on my own for quite a long time." She explained, running a hand through her messy hair. "And I'm still alive."

"We can protect each other." Rick assured her firmly. "We have food, weapons, shelter." He pointed out while looking at Hershel's home.

"Do you think he'll let you stay here?" Emily wondered with a chuckle. "He'll probably wait until your boy's taken care of."

Rick looked at the ground and Emily wondered if he thought the same too. However, he glanced at her again and got up. "You shouldn't stay alone in a world like this." He whispered while walking towards the bedroom again. "We need each other, now more than ever."

Emily stood quiet as he entered inside the room and joined his wife and son again. She sighed and glanced at the lights coming from outside. She narrowed her eyes and got up, leaning against the window to see who was coming. She noticed Maggie sitting on the porch, waiting to see who was coming as well.

The two girls watched carefully as two guys stopped their car by Hershel's farm and walked towards it slowly. One of them was Asian and the other one seemed hurt and in pain. Emily waited to see if Maggie would say something to them, but only when they reached the front door did she talk to them.

Emily sat down on the chair again and waited until they opened the door. The two men glanced at her and waved their hands, to which she replied with a small smile. She got up and walked with them towards Carl, figuring that would be a good time to check on the boy.

She walked with them slowly until she spotted the kid laying on the bed. Emily noticed he was still pale and sleeping. "Hey." She heard the two men saying.

"Hey." Rick answered them, still looking at his boy.

"Um, we're here, okay?" The Asian guy assured them, glancing at Carl for a few seconds.

Emily watched as Lori gave them a small smile. "Thank you."

"Whatever you need." The other one whispered.

Emily stepped away from the entrance as they walked away from Rick and Lori. Before the Asian guy and his friend walked away from her, she noticed the other one had a big wound on his arm. She kept looking at it, afraid it could be something much more worse than a small cut.

"It's not a bite." The guy assured her.

"We already told... Um, your sister?" The Asian guy wondered, raising an eyebrow at her.

Emily chuckled. "No, I'm new here, just like you guys." She explained. "I'm Emily. I found Rick and Shane in the woods when the boy got shot."

"Glenn." The Asian guy shook her hand. "This is T-Dog."

Emily nodded. "You should take a look at that wound of yours." She pointed out, waving her hand at it.

"We're going to now." Maggie said from behind her. Emily looked at the girl and nodded. She followed Glenn and T-Dog towards another woman, Patricia.  
T-Dog sat on the chair beside her and showed the woman his wound. It looked pretty bad.

"You got here right in time." Patricia confessed, looking at the wound. "This couldn't go untreated much longer." Then, she began stitching it. T-Dog closed his eyes hard and tried to focus on something else than the pain.

"Merle Dixon."

Emily's eyes widened. Her mouth slightly opened as she blinked a few times. "Is that your friend with the antibiotics?" Patricia wondered.

The girl looked at T-Dog to make sure he was talking about the same guy she was thinking about. "No, ma'am." He answered painfully. "Merle's no longer with us."

Emily started feeling a bit dizzy. She took a few steps back, refusing to hear whatever they were talking about. However, she didn't walk away fast enough to not listen to Glenn's words. "Daryl gave us those... His brother."

Maggie noticed how Emily was leaning against the counter, as if she was feeling sick. She placed one hand on Emily's shoulder, but she brushed it away from her.  
Emily couldn't think straight. There was too much information for her to actually sink in that Daryl was alive. She looked back as Glenn and T-Dog kept talking about the Dixon brothers, not even realizing she was staring at them in complete shock. She shook her head a few times to prevent them from knowing something was wrong with her. However, she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Not sure I'd call him a friend." T-Dog mumbled. Emily narrowed her eyes and tried to remain calm. If they were here, and Daryl belonged to their group, that meant Daryl was coming to the farm at any minute. She glanced at the front door for a few seconds before meeting Maggie's gaze one more time. Emily placed her hand on the counter and shook her head, pushing Maggie away one more time.

Emily didn't want to hear more of it. She placed one hand on her mouth and walked towards the living room, sitting on the chair with her mind racing.  
She blinked a few more times and rubbed her eyes as if all of this was a dream. However, as she opened her eyes, she was still in the same place, and the thought of meeting Daryl after all that time was still in her mind like glue. There was nothing that could prevent her from seeing him, unless she decided to leave. Maybe if she sneaked away from the farm without no one noticing, she didn't have to face him, and face her past.

She shook her head. Emily was definitely not thinking straight. Maybe something led her here to that moment and to that place. The exact place he'd be in a few hours. Emily looked at the entrance one more time before getting up and walking outside with quick steps. She sat on the porch and looked at the road, as if somehow he'd appear in front of her in a matter of seconds.

Emily didn't know what to feel about this. She felt slightly happy to know he'd made this far, even though she knew he was tough. He was a lot tougher than most people she knew. However, just the thought of seeing his face, Emily was afraid of what might happen to her.  
And what about him? What would he do when he'd see her? Would he ignore her, just like he did all those years ago?

Emily pushed away those thoughts as she heard screams coming from Carl's room. She got up quickly and ran towards it.

"... Because I think you're boy is out of time." She heard Hershel saying. The old man glanced up at her before returning his attention to Rick. Emily walked inside the room and glanced at Carl with worry. "You have to make a choice."

"A choice?" Lori asked him in disbelief.

"A choice." Hershel said firmly.

Emily watched as Rick and Lori exchanged a few looks. The sheriff looked desperate. He looked into his wife's eyes without knowing what to say or what to do. This was his son's life, and he couldn't make that decision. "You have to tell me what it is." Rick whispered to his wife. She looked at him with widened eyes. "You have to tell me what it is." He repeated.

Lori looked at her husband and swallowed hard. She pulled herself closer to him before landing her eyes on her son. "We do it." She finally answered.

Hershel didn't waste any more time. "Okay, get the corner of that bed." He immediately said. Emily stepped in to help them. "Let's get the sheets down." All of them grabbed the sheets so they could place Carl on top of the table. Emily waited for Hershel's call. "Okay, on three." He told them. "One, two, three." All of them pulled Carl up and placed him on the table. Emily took a deep breath and glanced at the kid's face, hoping he'd make it. Lori and Rick did the same, not knowing if their son would actually survive. Emily couldn't even imagine what they must've been through in that moment. However, she kept herself focused on helping Hershel. "Rick, Lori. You may want to step down." He whispered. Hershel turned to look at Emily, but before he could say anything, they saw lights coming from outside the farm. Emily's eyes widened and her heart began to beat faster. For a moment, she thought Daryl had finally arrived.

"You stay here with him." Hershel told Patricia.

Emily didn't even wait to see her response. She walked beside Rick towards the outside, her heart beating faster. However, she knew it had to be Shane with the equipment. Her thoughts seemed to calm down when she saw him walking out of the car. However, he was alone.

"Carl?" He asked quickly with widened eyes.

"There's still a chance." Rick told him. Shane looked relieved.

"Otis?" Hershel asked him. Emily looked at the ground. Shane's eyes became even more frightened, as if something horrible had happen to the man. Emily shook her head at the images popping in her mind. Shane shook his head slowly, but Hershel looked back at his people, grabbing the equipment quickly. "We say nothing to Patricia. Not 'till after." He told them while walking to his house again. "I need her!"

Emily walked with him and the others inside the house, while Rick and Shane stayed outside.

However, Hershel didn't let anyone in the room unless they were going to help him operate the boy. Since Emily didn't have a medical degree, she stayed outside the room with the rest of them. She walked towards Glenn, who was sitting on the same room as her. He looked at her somewhat surprised.

"You said there are others? From your group?" Emily asked politely.

"Yeah." He answered, narrowing his eyes. "Were you with a group?" Glenn wondered.

Emily shook her head. "No." She answered. "Rick told me I was welcome in yours, but-"

"You are." Glenn answered quickly. "I mean, you helped Carl. I guess that's a big deal."

"I couldn't just leave them there." Emily assured him, sitting down next to him. "But I'm better on my own."

Glenn shook his head. "You sound like Daryl."

His comment made her look at the ground and take a few deep breaths so he wouldn't figure something was wrong with her. She closed her eyes for a few seconds while he looked at the window. "W-Who?" She tried to look indifferent.

"He's the one who gave us that stuff for T-Dog." Glenn explained. "Back at our camp he usually went hunting all by himself. He'd stay out there who knows for how long."

"Oh." Emily whispered. He looked at her and narrowed his eyes, as if noticing something. She tried to laugh. "Well, I don't know. What's your point?"

"He's wrong." Glenn gave her a small smile. "And so are you."

Emily nodded and looked away from him. Was she really wrong? Every group she found either tried to kill her, rob her, or rape her. She knew better. However, this was Rick's group. They had kids, and Daryl. He'd never join a group where they'd do those things to people.  
She was completely confused about what her next move should be. There was nothing she could do in that moment rather than wait to see what would happen to Carl. In fact, all of them were waiting to see if he'd make it.

They sat on the couch for hours. Rick and Lori were the only ones who couldn't sit. The sheriff could tell his wife to sit down, or go to sleep, that she wouldn't go. Lori would shake her head and place her hand on her mouth, looking out of the window, focused on her own thoughts.  
Emily didn't have any kids and she never really thought about having them. She couldn't imagine being a mother in a world like this, or giving birth to a child in the middle of the apocalypse. But at the same time, if children started disappearing from their world, that was a sign that hope was gone. They wouldn't be able to fight those creatures.

It took Hershel a long time, but he eventually stopped the operation, only to tell the rest of the group that Carl was out of danger for the moment. Emily sighed in relief, not also for his safety, but also for his parents well being. She knew how tensed they must've been through all the surgery.

They tried to sleep on Hershel's house and wait for the rest of the group, but Emily didn't sleep at all. She could only think about meeting Daryl. Emily would often close her eyes and imagine how he must've changed throughout the years. After moving away with Melissa, Emily hardly ever saw him. She saw him whenever she went back to grab more stuff to her house, but rather than that, she stopped seeing him. That was one of the things that hurt her the most. The fact that they were best friends and in the next second he wanted to stay away from her.  
Emily had never suffered so much as she did with him. She couldn't understand what she'd done to make him feel so annoyed with her presence.

By morning, Emily was still thinking about it. She sat on the chair near the window and stared at the road every minute. She chewed on her thumb desperately, knowing that he was closer and closer to her as time went by.

Hershel climbed down the stairs to take a look at the boy, but even if Emily wanted to check up on him, Hershel made sure to tell her they needed privacy, and the kid needed rest.

She continued to look at the road without caring if anyone noticed how paranoid she looked. However, it was only a few hours later that she finally heard a motorcycle approaching. Emily got up quickly and stared at the road. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Still a bit far away from the farm was Daryl and behind him an RV. She swallowed hard. Emily couldn't take her eyes off of him. She couldn't see his face, but when he finally approached the farm, she narrowed her eyes and looked into his face. He was still the same as she remembered, only older and more tired. She sensed her watery eyes starting to fail on her, and she quickly pushed the tears away. She didn't know why she was feeling like that, but her feet dragged her out of the house with the rest of them. Her eyes never left him. She could tell a lot of people were coming, but she could only look at him. She stayed in the porch and waited to caught his gaze.

A few seconds later, Daryl looked at her. At first, he didn't recognize her. Then, right in the next minute, he turned around in her direction one more time, and narrowed his eyes.  
She didn't know what to feel. Emily felt happy to see him, but at the same time the memories from their hurtful past were still with her.

However, she couldn't hid the small smile that appeared on her lips when he spoke her name.


End file.
